Unsurprising news comes through today that development of Shenmue Online has fallen by the wayside at JC Entertainment, the South Korean software house charged with its development.
First seen at last year’s Korean KAMEX game expo, the "me too" MMORPG project was said to be in production with the supervision of SEGA’s head office. But almost everybody seems to have just forgotten about it, with staff at JC Entertainment moved onto other projects months ago, and SEGA’s head Japanese office scratching it’s head and saying the project is their Shanghai subsidiary’s baby.
There have been rumours that the project was moved to a Taiwanese development studio, but it seems equally likely to us that the project has just been shelved. A year or so ago, everybody wanted to make a MMORPG, with the games’ subscription-based financial model appearing the perfect way to make money, in return for setting up a few servers hosting a gameworld with items and artefacts strewn across it. Since then, however, the more cynical, licensed on-line RPGs like Star Wars Galaxies and The Matrix have seen a drop in users, while those with more time and effort invested in them, like World of Warcraft, have cashed in. We wouldn’t be surprised if Shenmue Online has been canned in view of this trend. Sharing only a name and graphical style with Yu Suzuki’s masterpiece, it would still have to carve a niche for itself in the market based on its own merits. If you must get excited about an online SEGA RPG, get excited about next year's Phantasy Star.
Incidentally, The Matrix Online is our favourite MMORPG ever. The concept of a story in which humans waste their lives in a virtual world being made into a virtual world where real life humans can waste their lives is so deliciously post-modern and ironic that it has to be the work of a twisted artistic genius. On teh subject of the Matrix, the game has recently lost so many subscribers that last week it reduced its nine gameworlds to three because they had become so sparsely underpopulated.
MMORPGs: Joyful escapism and a new way to make friends, or life wasting, health threatening madness? The Chinese government made its views clear last week. We're sure you'll let us know what you think in our forums.
First seen at last year’s Korean KAMEX game expo, the "me too" MMORPG project was said to be in production with the supervision of SEGA’s head office. But almost everybody seems to have just forgotten about it, with staff at JC Entertainment moved onto other projects months ago, and SEGA’s head Japanese office scratching it’s head and saying the project is their Shanghai subsidiary’s baby.
There have been rumours that the project was moved to a Taiwanese development studio, but it seems equally likely to us that the project has just been shelved. A year or so ago, everybody wanted to make a MMORPG, with the games’ subscription-based financial model appearing the perfect way to make money, in return for setting up a few servers hosting a gameworld with items and artefacts strewn across it. Since then, however, the more cynical, licensed on-line RPGs like Star Wars Galaxies and The Matrix have seen a drop in users, while those with more time and effort invested in them, like World of Warcraft, have cashed in. We wouldn’t be surprised if Shenmue Online has been canned in view of this trend. Sharing only a name and graphical style with Yu Suzuki’s masterpiece, it would still have to carve a niche for itself in the market based on its own merits. If you must get excited about an online SEGA RPG, get excited about next year's Phantasy Star.
Incidentally, The Matrix Online is our favourite MMORPG ever. The concept of a story in which humans waste their lives in a virtual world being made into a virtual world where real life humans can waste their lives is so deliciously post-modern and ironic that it has to be the work of a twisted artistic genius. On teh subject of the Matrix, the game has recently lost so many subscribers that last week it reduced its nine gameworlds to three because they had become so sparsely underpopulated.
MMORPGs: Joyful escapism and a new way to make friends, or life wasting, health threatening madness? The Chinese government made its views clear last week. We're sure you'll let us know what you think in our forums.
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Comments
Joji 8 Aug 2005 19:46
1/1
This was always the problem with MMORPGs and online gaming in general, when esatblished games get a good following, (with newer MMORPGs on the way) how do you keep your customers coming back for more? To stop people disappearing perhaps prizes and such might be a good answer.
Another good example is Xbox Live which has been a success but many of the games with online options go unused because the masses gravitate to the latest game trend, which is still Halo 2 right now.
While Halo 2's success is sweet for MS, other online games are feeling the real pinch with game worlds populated and then slowly abandoned, like a natural online disaster is due to happen. Something needs to be done, but what?
Perhaps the offline experience is better after all it would seem. All the same many will be sorry to see such potential as Shenmue Online go under, without us having had a chance to sample it.
Nintendo might have had a point before about online console gaming (is there enough in it for people to have it and will they come back?), but I'm eager to see what they'll bring to the table all the same. Watch this space.
Another good example is Xbox Live which has been a success but many of the games with online options go unused because the masses gravitate to the latest game trend, which is still Halo 2 right now.
While Halo 2's success is sweet for MS, other online games are feeling the real pinch with game worlds populated and then slowly abandoned, like a natural online disaster is due to happen. Something needs to be done, but what?
Perhaps the offline experience is better after all it would seem. All the same many will be sorry to see such potential as Shenmue Online go under, without us having had a chance to sample it.
Nintendo might have had a point before about online console gaming (is there enough in it for people to have it and will they come back?), but I'm eager to see what they'll bring to the table all the same. Watch this space.